Police Union Retaliates Against Mayor

[Vashta Nerada]

"Some officers abuse the trust that is afforded to them, and take advantage of their roles to do harm rather than prevent it," the mayor wrote in an "open letter" to Minneapolis residents. Because of this, she wrote, "good cops face even more hurdles to fostering a positive culture and bad cops have even more room to maneuver, and the downward spiral continues."

The mayor's assessment came the same day the U.S. Justice Department released preliminary results of a yearlong police review that concluded the department must get far more aggressive in rooting out bad police officers.
http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/278608441.html

The union president didnt take kindly to that. 
John Delmonico, president of the Minneapolis Police Federation, wondered if Hughes would "support gangs in the city or cops."

...so he spoon fed a story to a gullible TV crime reporter:

"Law enforcement sources alerted KSTP-TV to a photo they believed could jeopardize public safety and put their officers at risk, especially given the recent increase in gang violence," said Joe Johnston, director of public affairs for 5 Eyewitness News. "Multiple sources from several law enforcement agencies told 5 Eyewitness News the photo had the potential for undermining the work they are doing on the streets."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/mayor-betsy-hodges-gang-sign_n_6120650.html

[patric]

"Some officers abuse the trust that is afforded to them, and take advantage of their roles to do harm rather than prevent it," the mayor wrote in an "open letter" to Minneapolis residents. Because of this, she wrote, "good cops face even more hurdles to fostering a positive culture and bad cops have even more room to maneuver, and the downward spiral continues."

The mayor's assessment came the same day the U.S. Justice Department released preliminary results of a yearlong police review that concluded the department must get far more aggressive in rooting out bad police officers.
http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/278608441.html

The union president didnt take kindly to that. 
John Delmonico, president of the Minneapolis Police Federation, wondered if Hughes would "support gangs in the city or cops."

...so he spoon fed a story to a gullible TV crime reporter:

"Law enforcement sources alerted KSTP-TV to a photo they believed could jeopardize public safety and put their officers at risk, especially given the recent increase in gang violence," said Joe Johnston, director of public affairs for 5 Eyewitness News. "Multiple sources from several law enforcement agencies told 5 Eyewitness News the photo had the potential for undermining the work they are doing on the streets."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/mayor-betsy-hodges-gang-sign_n_6120650.html

Avoiding something like this might explain why the Mayor and Council were MIA during our last corruption scandal.
Hint to reporters:  Question Authority.   

[RecycleMichael]

Avoiding something like this might explain why the Mayor and Council were MIA during our last corruption scandal.
Hint to reporters:  Question Authority.   

The Council has nothing to do with the Police department. The Mayor only appoints the Police Chief.

I disagree that they should be blamed.

[guido911]

The Council has nothing to do with the Police department. The Mayor only appoints the Police Chief.

I disagree that they should be blamed.

I blame District 7.

[patric]

The Council has nothing to do with the Police department. The Mayor only appoints the Police Chief.

I disagree that they should be blamed.

Last time I checked, the city council has the authority to act as the citizens review board.


...should be blamed?  

[Ed W]

I blame District 7.

No, no, no. Blame District 12 and this young woman...

[Hoss]

No, no, no. Blame District 12 and this young woman...

Damn you Katniss Everdeen!

[guido911]

Or the other District 9?

[patric]

TulsaNow Forum seems to be ahead of the curve:

http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/3dzi3m/signs-of-anarchy   or

[Vashta Nerada]

Last time I checked, the city council has the authority to act as the citizens review board.

In 2002, Tulsa formed a 31-member committee to examine the need for a citizen oversight panel after the settlement of a class-action lawsuit filed by a group of black officers and a federal investigation into alleged civil rights abuses.

At that time, strong resistance came from the police force, including the Fraternal Order of Police representative walking out of a meeting, vowing to never take part in discussions that would include civilian oversight.

Police Chief Chuck Jordan said he does not see a need for an oversight or review board.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/civilian-oversight-board-could-aid-police/article_367303c3-dfd2-538b-a44b-e590a7612575.html



When Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan took over as head of the force in January 2010, he said he wanted to create a citizen advisory board.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/informal-community-group-advises-tulsa-police-chief/article_62784a75-042b-5b7a-8b77-dfd35487a8c2.html




The Fraternal Order of Police will not take part in committees that are exploring the idea of creating a police oversight board, the group's president said Thursday.

Officer Bob Jackson, the president of the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he attended the initial meetings of two committees considering the issue but walked out of the citizens committee.

Police Chief Ron Palmer formed an internal committee, made up of 13 police officials of various ranks, and an external committee, with representatives from 17 groups. The committees will meet for about four months to discuss whether a citizen board should be formed to oversee the Tulsa Police Department.

Jackson said many of those on the civilian committee, which he attended as a representative of the FOP, seemed to have already decided that such oversight is needed.

"Everybody's predisposed that we're going to have one of these," he said, adding that the membership of the external committee appeared to be "stacked."

"That committee is not representative of the community," he said. "There's no one there from west Tulsa. There's no one there from south Tulsa. There's no one from Kendall-Whittier. It's stacked full of people who will give Chief Palmer and Mayor (Susan) Savage the answer they want."

Although Palmer in the past has questioned the need for such oversight, saying the department is capable of policing itself, he said Thursday that he has reconsidered.

The chief said he has learned that most major city police departments have some type of civilian review.

"I wanted to make sure we had a reasoned discussion about it and have the community truly involved in it," he said.

Palmer said he hopes to have "something in place maybe by next spring" if the committees recommend civilian oversight.

"I don't think there's any preconceived notion that there will be community review," he said.

"We think it covers a cross section of both the minority and the majority community," Palmer said.

The citizens committee is made up of representatives from the Christian Ministers Alliance, Citizens Crime Commission, Citizen's Police Academy Alumni Association, Committee of 100, Hispanic Affairs Commission, Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League, National Association for the Advancement for Colored People, National Conference for Community and Justice, Oklahoma Home Health, Tulsa Bar Association, Tulsa Civil Service Commission, Tulsa Community College, University of Tulsa, Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, Tulsa Police Department and the Tulsa Police Community Race Relations Committee.

Maj. Rob Turner, who is organizing the committees, also listed the FOP as a member of the committee, but Jackson said the union has informed Turner and Palmer that it will not take part.

On Thursday, the City Council unanimously approved $55,000 in interest from law enforcement grants to fund the committees, which will report to the police chief, mayor and city councilors by March.

Jackson said he is not necessarily opposed to the idea of oversight but had concerns with the process.

"I don't particularly support the board concept. I lean more toward the auditor system than a board system," he said.

One of the models that the committee is considering in volves an auditor, as opposed to a board made up of citizens, who would oversee the department.

The NAACP, Urban League and other groups have repeatedly said citizen oversight for the Police Department is needed. A group of black officers who filed a class-action federal lawsuit against the city also seeks such a board in a settlement proposal.

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the department for an alleged "pattern and practice" of civil rights abuses. An official with the Justice Department's Dallas office is leading the committee meetings, but Turner has said federal officials did not order formation of the committees.

Jackson said he walked out of the citizens committee Tuesday after a disagreement with a member representing Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry.

"He accused me of trying to derail and subvert the concept of a citizens review board," Jackson said.

Steve Cranford, the director of Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, said he and other committee members were asked by the Justice Department official to list positive values of a citizen oversight board.

"At almost every point, he (Jackson) objected. He said we . . . were not interested in the civil rights of police," Cranford said.

Cranford said his son is a police officer in Missouri and that "I am not at all interested in denying the civil rights of police officers."

"It seems to me that something is needed to provide for better communications between police and citizens. They need to know what the values of the community are."

http://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/fop-opts-out-of-actions-considering-police-oversight/article_f1b281a0-15b0-585b-bc01-d7945eed3599.html




http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=3997

[Vashta Nerada]

"At almost every point, he (FOP President Jackson) objected. He said we . . . were not interested in the civil rights of police."

Police union grievances tend to be cut-and-paste from department to department, so if say, Seattle's police are suing because their "Second Amendment Right to used deadly force" isnt being respected, chances are Tulsa's FOP is toeing that line as well.

[cannon_fodder]

TPD polices citizens, citizens review the work of TPD. 

Seems logical.  Why wouldn't this work?

[heironymouspasparagus]

"Some officers abuse the trust that is afforded to them, and take advantage of their roles to do harm rather than prevent it," the mayor wrote in an "open letter" to Minneapolis residents. Because of this, she wrote, "good cops face even more hurdles to fostering a positive culture and bad cops have even more room to maneuver, and the downward spiral continues."

The mayor's assessment came the same day the U.S. Justice Department released preliminary results of a yearlong police review that concluded the department must get far more aggressive in rooting out bad police officers.
http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/278608441.html

The union president didnt take kindly to that. 
John Delmonico, president of the Minneapolis Police Federation, wondered if Hughes would "support gangs in the city or cops."

...so he spoon fed a story to a gullible TV crime reporter:

"Law enforcement sources alerted KSTP-TV to a photo they believed could jeopardize public safety and put their officers at risk, especially given the recent increase in gang violence," said Joe Johnston, director of public affairs for 5 Eyewitness News. "Multiple sources from several law enforcement agencies told 5 Eyewitness News the photo had the potential for undermining the work they are doing on the streets."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/mayor-betsy-hodges-gang-sign_n_6120650.html

It's good to see that it's not just Oklahoma, for a change!

[patric]

Every mayor in recent history has floated the idea of a citizen's police oversight board; what changed now?

The three Citizen Action Groups, one for each uniform police division, will work proactively with police to improve residents' quality of life and reduce crime. The Police Department appointed the members of those groups.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/citizen-advisory-groups-named-for-tulsa-community-policing-initiative/article_1f36ccf2-effc-5db2-93d0-db60ee1e4e0b.html

In 2002, Tulsa formed a 31-member committee to examine the need for a citizen oversight panel after the settlement of a class-action lawsuit filed by a group of black officers and a federal investigation into alleged civil rights abuses.

At that time, strong resistance came from the police force, including the Fraternal Order of Police representative walking out of a meeting, vowing to never take part in discussions that would include civilian oversight.

Police Chief Chuck Jordan said he does not see a need for an oversight or review board.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/civilian-oversight-board-could-aid-police/article_367303c3-dfd2-538b-a44b-e590a7612575.html




The Fraternal Order of Police will not take part in committees that are exploring the idea of creating a police oversight board, the group's president said Thursday.

Officer Bob Jackson, the president of the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he attended the initial meetings of two committees considering the issue but walked out of the citizens committee.

Police Chief Ron Palmer formed an internal committee, made up of 13 police officials of various ranks, and an external committee, with representatives from 17 groups. The committees will meet for about four months to discuss whether a citizen board should be formed to oversee the Tulsa Police Department.

Jackson said many of those on the civilian committee, which he attended as a representative of the FOP, seemed to have already decided that such oversight is needed.

"Everybody's predisposed that we're going to have one of these," he said, adding that the membership of the external committee appeared to be "stacked."

"That committee is not representative of the community," he said. "There's no one there from west Tulsa. There's no one there from south Tulsa. There's no one from Kendall-Whittier. It's stacked full of people who will give Chief Palmer and Mayor (Susan) Savage the answer they want."

Although Palmer in the past has questioned the need for such oversight, saying the department is capable of policing itself, he said Thursday that he has reconsidered.

The chief said he has learned that most major city police departments have some type of civilian review.

"I wanted to make sure we had a reasoned discussion about it and have the community truly involved in it," he said.

Palmer said he hopes to have "something in place maybe by next spring" if the committees recommend civilian oversight.

"I don't think there's any preconceived notion that there will be community review," he said.

"We think it covers a cross section of both the minority and the majority community," Palmer said.

The citizens committee is made up of representatives from the Christian Ministers Alliance, Citizens Crime Commission, Citizen's Police Academy Alumni Association, Committee of 100, Hispanic Affairs Commission, Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League, National Association for the Advancement for Colored People, National Conference for Community and Justice, Oklahoma Home Health, Tulsa Bar Association, Tulsa Civil Service Commission, Tulsa Community College, University of Tulsa, Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, Tulsa Police Department and the Tulsa Police Community Race Relations Committee.

Maj. Rob Turner, who is organizing the committees, also listed the FOP as a member of the committee, but Jackson said the union has informed Turner and Palmer that it will not take part.

On Thursday, the City Council unanimously approved $55,000 in interest from law enforcement grants to fund the committees, which will report to the police chief, mayor and city councilors by March.

Jackson said he is not necessarily opposed to the idea of oversight but had concerns with the process.

"I don't particularly support the board concept. I lean more toward the auditor system than a board system," he said.

One of the models that the committee is considering in volves an auditor, as opposed to a board made up of citizens, who would oversee the department.

The NAACP, Urban League and other groups have repeatedly said citizen oversight for the Police Department is needed. A group of black officers who filed a class-action federal lawsuit against the city also seeks such a board in a settlement proposal.

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the department for an alleged "pattern and practice" of civil rights abuses. An official with the Justice Department's Dallas office is leading the committee meetings, but Turner has said federal officials did not order formation of the committees.

Jackson said he walked out of the citizens committee Tuesday after a disagreement with a member representing Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry.

"He accused me of trying to derail and subvert the concept of a citizens review board," Jackson said.

Steve Cranford, the director of Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, said he and other committee members were asked by the Justice Department official to list positive values of a citizen oversight board.

"At almost every point, he (Jackson) objected. He said we . . . were not interested in the civil rights of police," Cranford said.

Cranford said his son is a police officer in Missouri and that "I am not at all interested in denying the civil rights of police officers."

"It seems to me that something is needed to provide for better communications between police and citizens. They need to know what the values of the community are."

http://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/fop-opts-out-of-actions-considering-police-oversight/article_f1b281a0-15b0-585b-bc01-d7945eed3599.html




http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=3997